Where does Tarot come from? The Tarot is an ancient system of wisdom and divination dating back thousands of years, based on philosophies rooted in ancient Egypt long before the pyramids were erected. In Hermetic and Kabbalistic tradition, certain spiritual truths can help us understand human life, which are depicted in The Tarot. The archetypes and symbolism describe the journey of the soul. Tarot literally means “The Royal Path of Life”.
I work with The Tarot in the way it is meant to be understood — as a pathway for the intuition to open and guide me to truths and messages that need to surface. When you book a tarot reading with me, you will get answers based on my access to the spirit realm — the astral plane, if you call it that — beyond my ego and my own judgments. Sometimes the messages I channel even surprise me.
The Cards
Thousands of years ago, there were magis who understood spiritual truths about the universe — they knew how it all worked and why we’re here. So, they set down archetypal symbols in steel plates that to this day reside in an unknown location. Each symbol represents a spiritual truth about the soul journey. Those images are what we know in the Tarot today as represented on 78 cards in a tarot deck.
There are 22 major arcana cards and 4 suits of minor arcana, each with 10 cards plus a queen, king, knight, and page. The individual images on each card have changed over time, as have the concepts behind them, but they are basically the same as when they were first set down on steel plates. Not long ago, for instance, the page and the knight would have instead been known as the son and the daughter. The king and queen are the father and mother. But the general idea remains the same.
The Major and Minor Arcana
It’s difficult to do justice to the cards in a short description, but what helps me is to understand their origins. Each suit of minor arcana represents an element found in nature plus a season. Wands are for fire and Summer. Cups are for water and Autumn. Pentacles are known in modern times as associated with earth, but Swords relate to Winter. Pentacles represent the Spring. Originally, pentacles were related to air and Swords were related to earth. Now, we usually think Swords relate to the air element.
In the major arcana, the cards correspond to each of the 12 zodiac signs plus the 10 planets, totaling 22 cards. The tarot and astrology are linked — every idea in these archetypes has something to do with astrological wisdom. The major arcana outlines the soul’s journey on Earth. Each of the minor arcana also represents aspects of this journey.
Learning About the History of Tarot
The facts I speak about here come from my studies, particularly in the book entitled The Sacred Tarot by C.C. Zain, published almost 100 years ago. It’s important that we always ask why things are the way they are, especially in spiritual pursuits when it’s so easy to be swept away with trends. But I like to rely on the wisdom of time’s masters rather than the current fads about Tarot. So, I suggest doing your research, which is very hard to do unless you are in possession of books written a long time ago.
The Brotherhood of Light is a great place to begin your studies. I first learned about it because The Sacred Tarot was part of a vast collection of occult books that my great-grandfather owned. I was intrigued and was able to find out what had been published during his life before this modern “new age” ideology pervaded the internet. I believe that scholars of the past have a lot of wisdom to give us and I am grateful that their books have survived.
Tarot Readings
Emily offers tarot and psychic readings to help you understand your life’s journey. These are done by Zoom, phone, or email. Ask questions on any topic you like!
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